prelude to the lost
by shinigami cloudiko
Summary: UPDATED! 1920's New York City. Kenshin meets Kaoru at a university and hides his true identity as a bloodthirsty assassin. Kaoru has shadows and secrets of her own.Can they learn to heal their scars or will the circumstances and bloodlust overcome them?
1. opening act

A whistle sounded in the background.

It shattered the night, shattered the silence into a thousand voices. One screamed louder than all the rest.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH – "

The blood-curtailing scream was cut off midbreath by a clean slice though the man's jugular. The sword effectively separated the man's head from his shoulders, blood spurting from the severed carotid artery.

Before the bloody rain could cease, the swordsman sped to his next victim only a few feet away.

This man had a sword and made an attempt to block the assassin's first attack. The clang of steel meeting steel pierced the shadows. The brief bit of light revealed deadpan amber eyes. Immediately, the victim knew who his predator was.

"Kami have mercy…" the man whispered in terrified reverence. "The Hitokiri Battousai."

The manslayer's face remained stoic as the two blades separated.

At last he spoke.

"Kimrazu Hatori, I have come to end your life."

Cold.

Cruel.

Calculating.

"You're surrounded, Battousai," retorted a man from the shadows.

The hitokiri turned his head slightly to peer into the dark. He was right. He was surrounded in the dark alleyway.

"There are at least thirty men here and they have blocked your way out of this alley," added the current opponent. He smiled as he stepped away from the legendary murderer. "You think you can get all of us with one lousy sword?"

The redheaded assassin gave a feral smirk. "Yes."

"Don't be fool –" started a nearby man, cut off by the lightning fast strike that vertically split his body into two pieces. Before he could fall to the ground the hitokiri's sword had turned four additional men into mere puddles of flesh and gore.

Amber eyes bored into the final assailant's gaze.

Surprisingly, the man seemed unafraid. He dared to speak to the legendary man killer standing there, the only who had so fearlessly executed all of his men in a single swipe.

"We meet again, Battousai."

The hitokiri slid again into his battle stance. "You should know by now that I am not a man of sentimentality."

"I was not asking if you _cared_ manslayer." A faint smile slid over the features of a man who understood the plight of the murderer before him. "Such an irony would be disgraceful to these fallen soldiers."

"Spare me of your honor."

The single man slid into his own fighting stance, sword outstretched with his fingertips lightly resting on the sharpened steel. His hat fell away to reveal a scar across his forehead and a mess of semi-cropped white hair.

The manslayer's eyes narrowed.

In seconds, their swords clashed. The clang of steel echoed through the narrow alleyway. The two fighters allowed their swords to pull away for a few seconds before clashing again. Feral amber eyes glared into the icy blue ones of his opponent – a true threat for once. The hitokiri smiled at the thought of a _true _fight, of having the opportunity to feel a _true_ victory.

Cleaning up the streets of a city could only sate a bloodthirsty man for so long, you see.

Even if this American city, New York, is full of brutal bastards not unlike himself.

It was not long before Battousai had drawn blood. This time, he had slit open the man's chest just enough to coax blood from his opponent's body rather than kill him. Quickly, quickly, he buried his sword into his opponent's shoulder and the cold steel ripped though muscle and tendon enough to nearly remove an arm.

As his target tried to strike, the hitokiri pulled away and the man fell to the cold earth.

"You son of a bitch," the man spat. Blood dribbled from his wounds and the corner of his mouth.

"What a pathetic man," came the simple response. "Get up." He walked toward the near corpse of a man, smiling that terrible feral smile again.

The wounded man stood after those words, struggling to maintain his position. It took a moment, but he managed to find some way to slip into his battle stance.

Battousai struck again, this time the man unable to defend himself. His arm was gone.

Another strike and crimson sprayed from a torn artery in the man's chest. Wounded and defenseless, the once true opposition was dead.

The hitokiri was bathed in blood again, but reached into his hatori to extract a cloth to clean his katana.

He wiped his blade with practiced skill and threw the cloth to the ground in disgust.

Once his katana was clean, the murderer walked away from the scene, melting into the shadows of the night, silent once more.

"prelude to the lost…"

by: shinigami cloudiko

written 14 january 2005

The school hallways were quiet, although far from calm.

"Did you see that Kamiya girl?" whispered one girl standing at her locker in the hall.

"The one with all the piercings?" hissed another.

"I heard she's paying her tuition fees in…well, let's just say a _less than proper_ manner," added a nearby boy.

"You mean – " started a neighboring girl, but was cut off by an elbow to the ribs. She nodded, realizing that the aforementioned girl was headed straight toward them.

The giggling began almost a soon as Kamiya Kaoru rounded the turn into the main hallway of the school. She expected it. She welcomed it.

All of their gossiping made her still feel human.

Kaoru unconsciously put a gentle hand to touch the tiny stud in her nose. _Mother…what would you say to get them to leave you alone? _

Vulnerable, yes. But still human.

"A flapper?" hissed another male student.

The girls around him giggled. "And she's going to be expelled…"

One girl in the crowd straightened the shirt of her simple uniform so as to make it more modest. Her hands smoothed out the wrinkles in her navy skirt and she decided to rescue her best friend prior to Karou making a statement she would regret.

The girl set her teeth and marched to her friend. "Come on Kaoru. You're going to be late," she attempted, taking the slightly taller girl's arm.

"Misao…" hissed her friend in question, "you are not my mother!"

One of the guys couldn't hold in a slanderous comment any longer. "Maybe she should be, Kaoru."

"Yeah," piped up another," then she could stop you from dressing like a first-class w-"

"Go to hell, Aiko," interrupted Misao. The taller girl gently tugged Kaoru away from the hall and into a bathroom, not wanting to see another one-sided fight. "He ain't worth it, darling."

"I'd love to give him a piece of my mind," retorted Kaoru, "no matter what you say, and it'd still be gratifying."

Misao swatted her friend on the arm. "Would that be what your parents would want?"

Cerulean blue eyes met Misao's green ones.

For a moment vulnerability lurked in Kaoru's gaze. At once Misao regretted mentioning her friend's late parents.

Misao decided to change the subject.

"Why don't you just wear the uniform once, Kaoru?"

"Isn't that just giving in to what they want?"

"The school superintendent wants to suspend you," came the reply. "The board doesn't seem to approve of the distraction your clothes cause."

"Distraction?" Kaoru squeaked. "This isn't even the half of it."

Misao looked at what her friend wore, trying to remain neutral to the topic. She wore a simple, wide collared blouse with sleeves that was tucked into a slightly tiered knee length skirt of the same color. A wide satin sash was tied below her hips, making her torso appear longer. The bow lie on her right side rather than in the small of her back. Her long black hair hung straight and Kaoru wore a cloche perched on it. She had heels on – much too tall to be proper – and far too much makeup and jewelry.

Perhaps the most scandalous factor about Kaoru's attire was that she looked outstanding.

"It isn't bad at all," came Misao's reassurance. "You just draw a lotta attention to yourself by dressing like this at school. Do you have your uniform?"

Kaoru nodded. _If I want an education, then I'll have to agree to wear the stupid uniform. _

With an inward sigh, Kaoru traded her comfortable clothing for the boring university uniform that covered way too much skin and was made with little taste.

Misao pointed to her friend's head. "Your hat, remember?"

The raven-haired girl removed her cloche and pinned her hair into a bun. Almost as though an afterthought, she grabbed a towel and wiped her bright red lipstick off. _How boring…_she thought as she looked into the mirror. _At least no one's tried to make me remove my earrings. _

"Ready?" Misao broke Kaoru's thoughts.

"Yes."

And so Kamiya Kaoru began her day in the same pattern as she had for the last two years.

fin

**Notes: **

Well, here's another new one. It's kind of a lazy person's attempt to write two stories at once. You see, I wanted to write a more romantic piece with "building bridges", but couldn't sit down to write all of it. That kind of romance just didn't seem to suit my rather bloodthirsty personality. (Too much romanticism overload for cloudiko. Not that I don't love a good waff like everyone else.) Then, came the idea to write a piece on gangs and street violence, but that seemed a little too much like one of my favorite stories here on ffiction. So, I've decided to blend these two ideas together into something of a hybrid story. There's violence but it's balanced out with romantic elements. You'll see what I mean.

The hardest thing about writing right now is every writer's greatest enemy: writer's block. I'm far enough ahead in the storyline to not impact updates yet, but I'd really like to not have it end up a rushed mess. Well, and it'd be nice to get some reviews for once … Oh, and I really wanted to have this story out before I finished my last year of school.

_Prelude to the Lost _is a story set in the 1920's, at the height of the mobster era in the United States. In fact, this will be taking place in the United States because I don't know enough about Japanese history to do the era historical justice. There will be gang wars, Battousai violence, and even romance. Oh, and 20's fashion. Lots of that. Kenshin gets to wear a three-piece suit and Karou gets to be a flapper. Misao gets to talk in a cool way, Aoshi gets to be a detective and try to bust everyone! And Sano…he's still an immature pain the butt. Should be fun!

That's about it, mes amis. Enjoy!


	2. the eyes meet the eyes

"prelude to the lost"

chapter 2: the eyes find the eyes

_Music? _

Kaoru walked down the darkened hall – night already creeping into the near empty school. One hand started to reach for the handle leading into the classroom she had left only minutes before, but she paused midway.

-"Can't even get outta my door."

It was louder here, and she simply stood in the doorway at the sight that awaited her.

-"That's enough trouble"

A young man – probably no older than 21 – sat in the abandoned classroom at a desk almost lackadaisically; both legs propped up on the seat of the desk in front of him.

She started to open her mouth to speak, but a small gasp emitted itself from her rather than words.

-"To make a poor girl wonder"

The slight sound caused the man to stand immediately.

At the sight of him, Kaoru's jaw dropped.

Her eyes gently glided over the stranger's body. He didn't appear to have an ounce of fat on him; his collared shirt unbuttoned just enough to see the beginnings of a well chiseled chest. His legs were lean, but not lean from lack of nourishment.

He had crimson hair, so beautiful in the near-gone light filtering through the windows. One could say that his hair was his most impressive feature - until they saw his eyes.

They were molten gold with traces of amethyst piercing his irises.

His entire face was well chiseled, easily accommodating his wide eyes and the jagged, cross-shaped scar on the right side of his face. The crucifix didn't seem to mar his delicate features, instead make them more magnificent.

He coughed to get her attention. The action made Kaoru blush a vibrant red.

Desire flooded the man's being at her blush.

Anyone with half a mind couldn't miss the way his molten eyes ran over her figure. That gaze made her want to melt into the floorboards. _Or into his arms,_ she thought wistfully. At that thought, she clapped a hand over her mouth. _What am I talking about! I'm turning into that wanton woman everyone thinks I am!_

"Where she wanna go…"

"Where she wanna go…"

"Where she wanna go…"

"Your record is skipping," she managed, trying to get the attention off of her tomato colored face.

His amber eyes slipped away from her body and he nodded. He still had not uttered a single word.

He gracefully turned around and shut off the record player, the sad notes of the blues singer fading into nothing more than silence.

"Bessie Smith, right?" she said gently, not minding the quiet that had permeated the room.

His eyes met hers again. "So you like the blues?"

She struggled against the heat washing though her bones. "Yes."

"Who's your favorite singer?"

Kaoru smiled. "Ma Rainey, you?"

"It depends upon the occasion." His eyes pierced her and she realized that he meant nothing less than what he said.

"You new around here?"

"Just enrolled," the redhead said. "In this time and age, my father says it's best to have a solid education."

She nodded. _He looks like a westerner, but his Japanese is perfect. I wonder…_"Is this your first time in New York?"

"No." He responded with an air of indifference or reluctance. "I have lived here for a number of years with my father."

"Are you from Japan?" she blurted, quickly covering her mouth with one hand. "I don't mean to pry…"

"Yes, but that place has ceased to be a home."

He did his best to hide the emotion in his voice, but the girl saw his fists clench and tighten with each of his words. At the same time, a painful tightening encased her heart.

"All this talking and I haven't even introduced myself," she said quickly, an obvious attempt to relieve the tension between the two. The raven haired girl bowed deeply with, "I'm Kamiya Kaoru, and it's nice to meet you…"

The man bowed back slightly and replied, "Himura Kenshin."

Both stood up straight and Kaoru smiled.

"Well, it's late," she said, reaching for the text she had left on a nearby desk. "My roommate will probably start to worry if I'm not home soon."

Kenshin looked at the girl before him strangely. She didn't look exactly helpless.

"She's just paranoid about getting robbed – it's rumored in this district that there are quite a few thieves out."

"It's become more common all over the world, rather than centralized in one location," he replied hesitantly. After a moment he added, "Would you like me to escort you back home? That way, your roommate wouldn't have to worry."

Kaoru turned the option over in her thoughts. _Possible attack by thieves or possible questioning by Misao…_

She would have to endure hours of uncomfortable questioning by her overexcited friend, and who's to say this man wasn't a murderer himself?

Oh well…

"Thank you, I'd appreciate the gesture, Mr. Himura," she finally answered. His gaze was again eating through her – at this rate she would be a pile of mush, never mind Misao's relentless banter.

The redheaded man stood in one fluent and utterly graceful movement. He straightened his suit jacket and tie before reaching for his overcoat and hat on an adjacent desk.

"Were you waiting for someone?" she asked when he did not speak.

"No," he replied simply. "It appears the professor has left for the night."

She nodded, unsure of what to say. It was strange that this man could make the usually confident Kaoru feel very nervous.

She allowed her gaze to fall to her feet, but Kenshin snapped her out of her revelry with, "Shall we go, Miss Kamiya?"

Kaoru's head snapped up. "Of course."

She tried to not flush at the look he was giving her and failed.

It was one of raw interest that was tainted with carnal desire.

However, the moment was broken with the squeak of weak hinges opening on the classroom door. To hide her embarrassment, Kaoru tucked her jacket around her more firmly and walked through the door in such a way as to ignore Kenshin's staring.

She heard him behind her close the door and they were alone in the night.

In the time that Kaoru had been trying to ignore him, Kenshin had put on his jacket and hat without a single sound. It was after her eyes met his again that he said, "You seemed interested in where I was from, so are you new to the East?"

Kaoru nodded. "I've only lived here a handful of years, but change comes so rapidly here that it's always been hard to adjust."

"What brought you here?"

The eerily quiet man's voice seemed to soothe the night and Kaoru's nerves effortlessly. She wondered when he had become comfortable enough to ask questions so willingly. However, she wasn't going to complain. Even as she replied, she found her gaze wandering to anywhere other than his face. "It didn't feel comfortable to live there anymore."

Kenshin sensed her discomfort but asked anyway, "What part of the country?"

She smiled at the memories. "Tokyo. And you, Mr. Himura?"

"Kyoto," he replied, "and please, call me Kenshin, Miss Kamiya."

"Kenshin," she repeated, liking the way his name sounded. "So Kenshin, what brings you to New York?"

"Business," he answered. "I was transferred to help a business executive expand to New York."

"In what field?"

The redhead paused. For a moment, nothing but footsteps filled the silence.

Finally he relinquished. "Banking. Mostly stocks and bonds now that modern business has moved to America."

The two continued talking until they reached Kaoru's apartment building.

She smiled at the redhead who had escorted her home.

It seemed strange that in such a short time she had learned so much about this mysterious man standing before her. He was a puzzle, but Kaoru knew that she would find opportunities to figure him out.

"When will you start classes, Kenshin?"

"Actually, tomorrow."

He looked strange standing under the streetlight with the faint rays of light highlighting his red hair. His black overcoat caused him to blend into the shadows of a city consumed in night.

Both knew little to say, so Kenshin took matters into his own hands.

The handsome redhead took Kaoru's hand into his and kissed it through her thin glove. "It has been a pleasure, Miss Kamiya."

Startled, Kaoru managed, "I agree. Thank you for the escort."

He gave her a slight smile.

Such an action caused Kaoru's heart to melt. The tiny expression of happiness transformed his entire face and caused a certain boyish charm to be restored.

Kaoru was about to ask if she would see him again when Kenshin asked, "Miss Kamiya, would you be interested in going dancing tomorrow night?"

_He moves fast,_ she noted. However, Kaoru smiled and replied, "I would like that very much."

His amber eyes met hers for the endless time that night and he replied, "How does eight sound?"

She was entranced with his gaze. It seemed to both examine and excite her at the same time, arousing feelings that were foreign to her.

After all, Kaoru had only known pain and fear.

"I'll pick you up at eight then," he said softly as he read the expression in her eyes.

She nodded. "Until then, Kenshin."

He removed his forgotten hand from hers in a swift and gentle manner before responding, "Until then, Miss Kamiya."

Kaoru shook her head. "Kenshin, call me Kaoru."

That small smile graced his expression once again.

"Until then, _Kaoru_."

He then bid her goodnight, disappearing into the city's shadows.

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Ok, so the plot thickens…

Hopefully the characterization in this isn't too horrible – or OCC. Bear with me, the story gets much more interesting as Kenshin and Kaoru interact more and more.

If this seemed like a random place to start the second chapter, you're right. It was entirely random, and I couldn't think of a good transition from the first chapter to the second. Next time things should be a bit less choppy, but no promises as of yet.

Here's a brief disclaimer and I'm outta here!

I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, Bessie Smith or Ma Rainey, Franz Ferdinand, (The chapter title is from a line in their song "The Dark of the Matinee"), or the word "wanton" in either inflection.

shinigami cloudiko

**NEXT: **

Chapter 3: Into the Unknown


End file.
